Recent Work by ITEP
Should lawmakers enact laws that they believe are sensible and constitutional, or should they shape their legislative agenda around what they believe ideological Supreme Court justices will allow? This is a dilemma facing Americans who support a federal wealth tax.
State Rundown 2/17: Friction Over Tax Policy Still Generating Heat in Some Statehouses
February 17, 2021 • By ITEP Staff
Cold-hearted regressive tax proposals were pushed this week to cut income taxes on high-income households in states including Idaho, Montana, and West Virginia, while advocates for fair taxes and well-funded services continue to turn up the heat on taxing the richest residents in states like Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
While the federal EITC provides a great deal of support for families with children, its impact is limited for those without children or who are not raising children in their homes. Childless workers under 25 and over 64 have for far too long received no benefit from the federal credit. And workers aged 25 to 64 have received very little value from the existing credit (the maximum credit is much smaller and the income limits more restrictive). The federal EITC’s meager benefits for just some childless adults lead to an inequitable outcome: the federal income tax system—which is ostensibly based…
CARES Act Helps Create $4.6 Billion Tax Cut for Health Care Companies Paying Opioid Settlements
February 12, 2021 • By Matthew Gardner
Talk about a one-two punch. A new report from the Washington Post reveals that the U.S. public is set to pay for the opioid crisis again. Already, communities across the country have paid a heavy price via the devastating public health toll. Now, it appears taxpayers will be on the hook for billions in corporate tax breaks as four pharmaceutical companies exploit a loophole in the Trump-GOP tax law and a CARES Act tax provision meant for companies facing pandemic-related profit losses.
It’s Been 10,000 Days Since the Federal Government Raised the Gas Tax
February 12, 2021 • By Carl Davis
10,000 days. More than 27 years. By next Tuesday that’s how long it will have been since the federal government last raised the gas tax. Over that time, vehicle fuel efficiency has improved by 25 percent and construction costs have grown 185 percent. And yet the federal gas tax has remained frozen at 18.3 cents per gallon, with its purchasing power shrinking by the day. The federal government has never gone this long without updating the nation’s gas tax rate.
State Rundown 2/11: Legalizing and Taxing Cannabis Becoming Increasingly Mainstream
February 11, 2021 • By ITEP Staff
This week, the governors of New Hampshire and West Virginia proposed to eliminate their states’ most progressive revenue sources and shift taxes even more heavily onto the middle- and low-income families who already pay the highest rates in both states. It was also a big week for proponents of legalizing recreational cannabis, as that movement made progress in Hawaii, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Testimony to Washington State Legislature House Finance Committee on HB 1496
February 11, 2021 • By Dylan Grundman O'Neill
Read as PDF Following is testimony of ITEP Senior State Tax Policy Analyst Dylan Grundman O’Neill submitted to Washington State Legislature House Finance Committee in support of HB 1496. “Hello and thank you for this opportunity to testify. My name is Dylan Grundman O’Neill, and I’m a Senior State Tax Policy Analyst with the Institute […]
Details of House Democrats’ Cash Payments and Tax Credit Expansions
February 9, 2021 • By Steve Wamhoff
The House Ways and Means Committee published its proposal for the cash payments, tax provisions and other changes that would make up part of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief legislation that President Joe Biden called for a few weeks ago.
Does New York’s Cannabis Tax Idea Offer a Glimpse of the Future?
February 9, 2021 • By Carl Davis
Taxing cannabis won’t end New York’s budget difficulties, but a potency tax could bring New York a more sustainable stream of cannabis tax revenue than we see in most states. It could also have significant benefits for cannabis consumers.
Faulty Fact Check on Tax Breaks for the Rich and Corporations
February 5, 2021 • By Amy Hanauer
When it comes to tax policy, the details are complicated, but the story is often simple. For example, President Trump’s so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) disproportionately benefits the rich. This is not controversial. Yet some opinion makers with large megaphones get lost in the details and come to conclusions that only create more confusion.
ITEP in the News
Wall Street Journal: The Economics Behind Zohran Mamdani’s Biggest Plans
Virginia Public Radio: What a “Wealth Proceeds Tax” Could Look Like in Virginia
The Nation: Texas Republicans Are Doubling Down on Banning Capital Gains Taxes
Business Insider: Baby Boomers' Property Tax Revolt
The Beacon: Missouri Gives ‘One of the Biggest Millionaire Tax Cuts’ This Year, Report Says
ITEP Work in Action
Oxfam: UNEQUAL: The Rise of a New American Oligarchy and the Agenda We Need
Americans for Tax Fairness: For Many Families, Trump-GOP Healthcare Premium Hikes Wipe Out Potential Tax Cuts
FACT Coalition: New Report Reveals U.S. Oil and Gas Companies Pay More Tax to Petrostates Than to the U.S. Government
Maine Center for Economic Policy: Missed Opportunities to Advance Tax Fairness and Create a Better State
America's Voice: Just Listen To The Experts: You Can’t Have Economic Growth Without Immigrants
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